Wednesday, October 15

When I was growing up, my mother cooked everything from scratch, including macaroni n' cheese, which, coincidentally, was the one dish that my brothers and I didn't like. Despite her most valiant efforts, we would always complain, "It's not as good as the one in the box." Blasphemy, pure and simple.

To this day, I blame Kraft. Perhaps it was the kid-appealing, artificial orange color of the cheese. Or maybe it was a secret ingredient in that magical powder in the unmarked white envelope. Whatever it was, it was one of few prepared meals we ever ate (and preferred to homemade).

Well, just like my mom, I decided to make mac n' cheese. I made it from scratch and didn't tell Jeff what was in it. After a couple of bites, he said, "Wow! This is good! It may sound weird, but this mac n' cheese tastes like Doritos!" (Hah! I thought. The fajita spice worked.) Considering he finished his plate, then stood at the stove eating the mac n' cheese right out of the casserole dish, it's safe to say he liked it.

I really liked the way this Orange Cauliflower Mac n' Cheese turned out because the cheesy topping got all bubbly and crunchy, while the pasta underneath remained comfortingly soft and creamy. I'm also pleased that the melted cheese isn't a plastic-y, neon orange (sorry, Kraft), but a soft, natural, golden orange.

This healthier mac n' cheese recipe loses most of the fat and cholesterol of traditional mac 'n cheese but holds onto the creaminess and flavor that make it an American favorite. Plus, it's an easy way to get your kids to eat their cauliflower. According to Wiki, orange cauliflower contains 25 times the level of vitamin A as white varieties, so it may even help give them bionic vision.

If you really want to get your kids to eat their cauliflower, then add 1 tablespoon fajita or Mexican spices to the sauce and call it "Doritos Mac n' Cheese." I swear, the spices make it taste just like Doritos. Now, what kid wouldn't love that? Come to think of it, what adult wouldn't love that?

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Trim cauliflower and break into small florets. Boil until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain. Place in a blender or processor with 1/2 cup milk and puree until thick and smooth. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to directions until al dente.

For the sauce, melt 2 tablespoons Smart Balance in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk briskly. Gradually add 2 cups milk, whisking continuously, until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. Add the pureed cauliflower, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and a generous amount of salt and black pepper. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Add cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and toss until well coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheddar evenly over the top.

For the buttered breadcrumbs, melt 1 tablespoon Smart Balance butter substitute in a small skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and toss until coated with butter. Sprinkle even over the top of the cheddar. Or, if you prefer, set crumbs aside, and use as a garnish just before serving.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and the cheese sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Oh, yum!!! Been too long since I had mac and cheese. I am sure the whole family will love this-- and I very unsecretly love cauliflower, so I'm sure to be sneaking over-the-stove tastes too. Orange cauli isn't always available, though.I think I have to look up what's in Fajita spice-- maybe because we don't get it here or maybe I already have the components lying around here :)

O boy Susan...what a greatway to hide the cawliflower & in something as delicious as this. I'm with you on plasticy Kraft...too much fat & artificial flavour. My kids DETEST cawliflower & with winter round the corner, we have the market flooded with them at, hold your breath, Rs 10 a kilo (a dollar is about Rs 50 now, so say like a quarter for a kilo).Am waiting with baited breath for more hidden treasures like this...xoxoxo Deeba

wow I have never seen an orange cauliflower - I think cauliflower is perfect in mac and cheese because as a child there was nothing I loved better than cauliflower gratin with lots of white sauce and chesse! I do quite like the neon orange of the kraft stuff in a nostalgic way but why do good colours have to taste like plastic!

your story on preferring box mac n' cheese over homemade made me smile. we were picky eaters as kids (me and my sibs) and we didn't like mom's version either. (she used all sharp cheddar) but when i was an adult, i went to texas with my hubby and found real mac n' cheese again. i found a recipe that my family loves too. interesting to put the golden cauliflower in it...very sneaky! (my family won't eat cauliflower unless i did that too!)

Ya know what? As an ethnic kid growing up in then WASP Toronto, we always heard what the other kids were eating (Kraft Dinner) and we wanted it too. Add targeted marketing to kids and you have a hynotized generation of kids.

You sneaking in orange cauliflowe is a brilliant way to make this dish more healthy....salute!

I'm also wondering when we put in the cauliflower! Could you spell it out for us, please? I guess I could just throw it in with everything else before adding the breadcrumbs, but I don't know if that's "right" - I'm an oldest child so I like to play by the rules :)

Susan,mac and cheese is my weakness.I never make it, in fear of eating the whole pan.I wish I had seen this recipe a few nts ago....I had a whole head of cauliflower and didn't know what to do with it! I love it!

I posted your 212 cookie post today on my blog, referring that I needed to lose some weight! I don't know if you are helping!Stacey

Genius! I love the idea of cauliflower in the cheese sauce. I make my mac 'n chz almost exactly the same way (well, w/out the fajita seasoning- that might be tasty) and I can't eat pasta without crunchy breadcrumbs on top. I love to season mine with all kinds of dried herbs and other flavors.

thanks for this new take on Mac&Cheese. The last time I made healthy M&C, I went with a Martha Stewart recipe that used butternut squash. These days, M&C is such a staple at our house, I usually buy the big boxes of Annie's at CostCo. Thanks to your suggestion, I will bring this staple back to the oven!

I never knew cauliflower could be orange too.And a great way to make mac 'n cheese. As you know, we love veggies in ours.:)As for kids liking the stuff that comes out of a box better, I think its a phase. As we grow older we start appreciating the real thing.

stacey-Now you'll know for next time. And thanks for the link. It's almost that time of year again!

lori-I actually got it at Henry's.

kate-I love the crunch too. I have to have some texture.

lynn-I think it will work!

gudrun-Oh, I'm so happy to hear that.

cakelaw-Isn't that great about blogging?

kevin-Great!

jude-Yup!

david-I hear ya.

aparna-I know you do. :)

nicole-I think so!

aran-:)

marie-That is just the best compliment to receive. Thank you!

lyb-I think a lot of people would agree with you.

thl-Wow! I'm so happy to hear you already tried it and liked it. Thanks for letting me know. I made the recipe 2x before posting it and didn't have extra sauce. Maybe it was the cauliflower? Not sure. I'll take note next time I make it though.

Oh look at theat beautiful cauliflower! Never seen one that colour... I was never really a fan of mac 'n' cheese growing up, but I did love the (admittedly sinfully caolrific) one I made recently. Love the sound of this one - kind of like cauliflower cheese with some noodles thrown in :)

I just tried this recipe, and oh my gosh, it is delicious. Other than using plain old white cauliflower, I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. Everyone in my family loved it, including my anti-veggie husband. It's funny how little you taste the cauliflower...

I usually follow recipes step by step, but I find I often play around a bit with the recipes on FoodBlogga! For this one, I used white cauliflower and also some butternut squash. I must have messed up the proportions because it then needed more cheese. So when I warmed up my plate in the microwave, I added some slices of extra sharp cheddar and also some peas and I was back on track! Really delicious, plus an easy way to get some veggies into the mix! Thanks!

Oh, good! Maybe I'll try making it one day then. I don't like cauliflower but I've been wondering about it being in mac and cheese. I don't like a lot of vegetables so I try and get them in different ways.